In today’s economy, every dollar counts. It seems like as the years go by, everything gets more expensive, yet it’s harder to hold on to a dollar. That’s why it’s so important to get a return on our investments.

You’re probably thinking of the common investments, like a home, stocks, or a 401 K. But I’m talking about an every day item that not only is useful, but also worth money. Just walk over to your drawer, open it, and withdraw one of the five unused cell phones that are sitting within it.

I myself had quite a few cell phones just sitting in my drawer amongst old birthday cards, receipts, and photos–a Samsung and two BlackBerrys to be exact– before I realized that there’s a great market looking to buy used cell phones. And even if you don’t have a cell phone dusting up in a drawer, chances are you’ve been itching to upgrade to a new model now that your contract is coming up for renewal with your carrier. Maybe the iPhone 5S. Maybe you’re waiting for the LG Nexxus 5. Even if you’re not up for a renewal, you may be a technology slave and need the latest and the greatest. You can’t manage to wait two years, and so you’ve decided to enroll in a more frequent upgrade program with your carrier.

Whatever the case may be, a cell phone is costly. First, you’ve got to pay out for the phone and contract. And if you like to upgrade frequently and participate in a plan like AT&T’s Next plan, you’re investing some serious dough for the phone you call yours. Second, you’ve got to pay your monthly maintenance bill. These things add up.

The fact is these smartphones (the ones you’re dying to get rid of or are simply sitting in your drawer) are wanted. There’s a market out there looking to give that old phone a second life. On uSell.com, we’ve got over 40 professional buyers looking to buy your cell phones for cash. Take a look at the following chart that shows some of the top selling cell phones on uSell this month and their average selling prices here:

Phone Model

Resale Price

iPhone 5 16GB

$270

iPhone 4S 16GB

$176

Samsung Galaxy 3 SGH-1747

$131

Samsung Galaxy 4 SGH-1337

$257

Samsung Galaxy Note II SGH-i337

$235

If you’ve got any of these phones, there’s money to be made right in your own house. If you’ve got a different model, go to our site and check out what our buyers are offering for your device. Sell your cell phone back and make some money in this dismal economy!

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Laura Lifshitz-Hernandez is the web editor & marketer for uSell.com. An Apple lover, she still sees the good side of Android phones and other brands. Not a "techie," she gives you good "Tech-Talk" in terms that the everyday person can understand. She still has her first Motorola pager from back in the day, and was born with a phone stuck to her ear, according to her mother.